I have said this for years. Our identity has been lost. We cannot decide from game to game who and what we want to be. I am personally in favor of a smashmouth, defensive orientated, ground and pound style. But at this point I am willing to accept any style so long as it is consistent. The best I can tell, the style we try to play now is read and react?? Maybe??? Lol. Which isn't working. We are too slow against speed teams, and too small for the big boy teams. The problem I have right now is that these players can win, they are just being held back by the style. These players need to attack. Offense and defense. If you are running the ball, settle for 3 yards and if you break one great, but at least you got 3. Instead we are passing off blocks (Which don't get picked up) and stuttering at the line looking for a hole that is never there. Lower your head, put your body on someone and push for 1 step. When we pass, we look for option routes and try to confuse the D, which is faster than is, instead of setting up designed routes with timing, running those and throwing it away if it's not there. On D, we play so far off the line, AT EVERY POSITION, and try to react to what the offence does. Even when we read it right, and tackle it right they are 4 or 5 yards downfield. We need to attack them. Make them adjust to us. Stack the box and blitz from various angles every play. Yes, we might give up the big play every once in awhile, but we have a better chance than giving them 5 yards every play. That's what this team needs to do to win at least.

And to the guy who said 3 yards is done. That's crap. Unless you have ELITE talent at every position, slowing the game down, grinding out every possession is the only way to beat an Alabama, and the best way to beat all the other spread teams. They can't score if they don't have the ball, and if you are grinding out possessions you are wearing the other D down until they start to make mistakes.

Yeah better to be thought of a physical football team and win 6 or 7 games, than use that CUSA mentality and win 10 back to back...............

BPs teams were tough enough to do what they needed to. Arkansas losing its identity is an easy talking point but doesn't mean much. Did Alabama lose their identity when Kiffin was calling plays? Maybe they did a little but they used it to form a new identity and embraced the future of a dual threat QB and a more spread offense.

Trying to stick to that "identity" of run it down their throats cost Arkansas some games they could have one. Teams don't have an identity except for what those on the team are good at. To try to force a running identity onto a team better suited for passing is ridiculous but also part of why Bielema is such a miserable failure at Arkansas.

I would take this with a grain of salt also, remember Spears played when that was how the game was played and won, the game and rules have changed to favor the offense and thus the reason everyone who is anyone is using the spread offense. Sorry for you ole skool guys who can't let it go, but the 3 yards and a cloud of dust days are gone......................

Don't watch much football, do you? Not a damn thing has changed in the 50 years I've been watching it. The team with the biggest, strongest, fastest, best football players win. Three yards and a cloud of dust is just a lazy excuse for being unable to articulate what you really mean which is that you don't understand what makes a championship college football team. If you can't run and stop the run don't even think about it. The spread offense started as a run-based offense and still is at the championship level. Rich Rodriguez's spread at West Virginia wasn't even close to a passing offense. It was based on read options. So was Chip Kelly's at Oregon. Same as Bear Bryant and Barry Switzer's wishbones. 3 yards and a cloud of dust? Try 6 or 7 yards a carry and 40 plus points a game. What did Bryant and Switzer have that Rodriguez and Kelly didn't? Nine national champioships? Why? Because they had the defenses and special teams to go with unstoppable offenses.

Yep. Arkansas has work to do on offense. A spread would be nice, but we don't have the QB to run it. Know why Clemson's worked? DeShaun Watson. He had 73 yards rushing against Alabama and that was including 4 sacks. Unless you want Kliff Kigsbury's offense, you better have a QB who can run if you want to run the spread. And you better have some backs and an oline. And you better have a defense and special teams to go with it.

I am soooooo sick of the microwave generation pimping Booby the boob man petrino. His offenses were pretty. His defense offensive and the poster who mentioned is right. of that 10 win season which I loved, he was lucky to win a few of those games. He is 5-4 this year with a returning QB who won the Heisman last year and that's the best he could do. Watch Louisville the next few years.As for identity, Spears is right. The hogs have always been known as one of the hardest hitting teams in the game. Players like Atwater, Dan Hampton, dirt Winston. Many many more all made sure of this. Now we are a mashmellow team. We might as well do what so many of you want and convert fully to the spread and have track meets every weekend. That is except when you play the cream of the SEC. Anyone watch Bama this year and think a high octane offense scared them? You better have a defense that will bring the pain. Because their D is going to every down of every game. I just hope Arkansas can get back to that mentality before My time is over. I miss a tough hard nosed football team with a never die attitude.

Lol, just go back and read the names you gave to illustrate this alleged "tough man" system that use to be Arkansas football, and put a time line on when they all played. Thanks for proving my point. It's good you would like to get back to winning 6 or 7 games and being billed as a "tough team". I would rather win 10 personally, even if everyone said we were finesse.

"When I saw B Allen throw the ball 50 times in one game- I knew they lost their identity. Ark has always been a tough out- but they don't have the players- never in a million years did I think I would ever say Ark is not a physical football team."

Marcus Spears nailed it....we simply lost out identity under CBB

I thought BA played on Offense... Go figure. So a QB who hasn't been on the field in the last two years is responsible for our Defense no longer playing with toughness?

So Spears said we lost our identity of being tough and running the ball and all the other posters say we started our slide when we started passing more. You say Nutt, who everyone hated for not passing more, was more wide open than CBB and also that we need more creative play calling instead of just running the ball. Damn I am so confused here, either we lost our identity and got away from running, or we need to be more creative with a more wide open offense. Which is it, it can't possibly be both.

Nutt didít run the GD Big Ten Jumbo sets unless we were on the goal line. I said that we have always, prior to BERT getting here, been known as a physical, tough, chip on thy shoulder type of team. In regards to the running game...Nutt ran the ball in different ways than bert does. Nutt was a better coach on every level of the game. Period. I liked Nutt...didnít mind that he left though, but Bobby was on another level. Two things can be true at the same time my friend. You can have a legit passing game & run the ball with physicality. Those things arenít exclusive brother. There is no universal law of physics that makes doing two things well in football impossible. What you ABSOLUTELY cannot do is have a blowhard coach who hustled his way into a job by bamboozling a weasel ass AD who had already sh*t the bed with his attempts to hire Grobe & Bowden before Petrino fell into his lap. Then he fired Bobby over a personal matter so as to make himself out to be a hero. Mr Integrity. Mr College Football Playoff Committee. Sure hasnít done our program one bit of good. Some of the sheep in the media were trying to have us believe that Jeffy being on the committee would give us great exposure & recruits would take notice. We were told that these recruits and their parents would never want their innocent little high school football stars to play for Bobby after his affair. Ridiculous. That was more propaganda by Jeffy. CBB is the absolute worst football coach weíve had since I have been alive in regards to EVERY aspect of coaching, conditioning, preparation, etc. It is comical folks. I was born in 1975, just for reference to my timeline of fandom/coaches...& no heís not better than Jack Crowe. Not by a longshot even though Long sure as hell thought he was a sureshot

Lol, just go back and read the names you gave to illustrate this alleged "tough man" system that use to be Arkansas football, and put a time line on when they all played. Thanks for proving my point. It's good you would like to get back to winning 6 or 7 games and being billed as a "tough team". I would rather win 10 personally, even if everyone said we were finesse.

Either way...let's just do it and stick w it. At the moment we have nothing.

I would take this with a grain of salt also, remember Spears played when that was how the game was played and won, the game and rules have changed to favor the offense and thus the reason everyone who is anyone is using the spread offense. Sorry for you ole skool guys who can't let it go, but the 3 yards and a cloud of dust days are gone......................

Teams are running the Spread for the same reason that a lot of teams used to run the Wishbone, it stresses the Defense. With perhaps the majority of high schools going to this offense, there are a lot more players familiar with that offense to recruit which also helps them when they reach the college level to not have to re-learn another Offensive scheme, but just how it is tweaked at the school that they attend.

Part of the way that these Offenses stress a defense is the threat of the run. That threat (and it still has to be a viable threat) is what helps make the passing game go. If all you have is passing it makes it far easier to scheme for you from a defensive perspective. See Texas Tech (4-5) who is #5 in the nation in passing, but just #79 in rushing. On the other hand look at Oklahoma (5.5 p/rush) and Oklahoma State (4.96 p/rush) who are both among the top passing teams in the nation but who also hover around the 200-215 yard mark (on average) in rushing. Auburn has better balance between the two phases of offense averaging 229 passing and 237 rushing (5.0 p/rush) each game. Rushing has to be a part of the equation and that will never change.

Now that doesn't mean that a traditional Pro Style of Offense can't be successful, it can. But it is more difficult to recruit and you have to have more talent across the board at all positions to make it work. Plus, the re-training of HS athletes at the college level may take longer because the individual responsibilities and the techniques involved to execute that style of Offense are just different than what kids have been taught to run in HS. Additionally, because it is more of a power style of Offense, you better be able to recruit top athletes. The Spread style gives more teams a better chance because you don't have to have as many superior athletes at every Offensive position.

A good rushing threat will always be a necessary part of the game if you want to be successful. Otherwise, you are Texas Tech.

The worst thing that has happened to the Football Program in the last five years has nothing to do with Jeff Long or Bret Bielema. Itís when Sam Pittman left for Georgia. The heart and soul of the physical football team was the Oline Pittman built and it has not been replicated since he left.

They have a spread roster trying to play Power ďIĒ football. Square pegs in round holes.

The defense isnít addressed here, but itís pretty simple. The fear of the big play has taken away aggressiveness.

I would take this with a grain of salt also, remember Spears played when that was how the game was played and won, the game and rules have changed to favor the offense and thus the reason everyone who is anyone is using the spread offense. Sorry for you ole skool guys who can't let it go, but the 3 yards and a cloud of dust days are gone......................

Playing physical has nothing to do with three yards and a cloud of dust. A team can be physical and play within the current rules setup.

"When I saw B Allen throw the ball 50 times in one game- I knew they lost their identity. Ark has always been a tough out- but they don't have the players- never in a million years did I think I would ever say Ark is not a physical football team."

Marcus Spears nailed it....we simply lost out identity under CBB

Cbb came in with an attitude of big physical OL and DL and that isn't happening. Bad recruiting and bad coaching. Spears is right. We are throwing out if desperation because we do not have a physical run game.

I agree. A former Auburn player from Spears' era told me Arkansas was one of the most physical teams they played along with Alabama, LSU and Georgia. That's the reputation they entered the league with.

A former Tennessee player told me last week that the most he ever wanted to get off the field in a game in his life was at Arkansas in 2006.

One problem today with physical play, in secondaries in particular, is 7 on 7 offenses. There are a lot of players getting three star and higher ratings who have never learned to tackle. They don't even try to break down and wrap up. They dive and lunge and push. They never tackle to the ground in practice. They look like Adonis and have mastered the cone drills and one-on-one in shorts, though. Fans are so wrapped up in recruiting rankings that coaches have to decide whether to take players who have proven on film that they can tackle and play football in general or a more highly rated combine winner they hope they can teach to play football. Some of these guys don't want to hit at all. That's the world we live in. Alabama doesn't need to take players who haven't proven it on film. Neither does LSU or Auburn or A&M. Does Arkansas? I don't know. What I do know is that we have a lot of guys in the secondary who would rather watch an opponent run by them than deliver a blow.

Cbb came in with an attitude of big physical OL and DL and that isn't happening. Bad recruiting and bad coaching. Spears is right. We are throwing out if desperation because we do not have a physical run game.

I would suggest that what happened was that after Chaney left and Enos came in, the scheme changed slightly and Enos' playbook included things that our O-Linemen weren't mobile enough to execute, like screens. That's when we started restructuring the O-Line and going lighter to accommodate the changes and lost some of the lead in our britches that helped enable the power run game. Now it seems like we have always had trouble pounding it into the RZ with the run game at times, so there is that to debate, but the shift in physical size and mobility of the O-Line came from the arrival of Enos and his offense.

"When I saw B Allen throw the ball 50 times in one game- I knew they lost their identity. Ark has always been a tough out- but they don't have the players- never in a million years did I think I would ever say Ark is not a physical football team."

Marcus Spears nailed it....we simply lost out identity under CBB

uhhh.... I think it started before Brandon & CBB.... try thinking about CBP & Mallett.... years before...

I would suggest that what happened was that after Chaney left and Enos came in, the scheme changed slightly and Enos' playbook included things that our O-Linemen weren't mobile enough to execute, like screens. That's when we started restructuring the O-Line and going lighter to accommodate the changes and lost some of the lead in our britches that helped enable the power run game. Now it seems like we have always had trouble pounding it into the RZ with the run game at times, so there is that to debate, but the shift in physical size and mobility of the O-Line came from the arrival of Enos and his offense.

Maybe in philosophy, but these guys can't pass pro either... so if you're not physical enough to road grade your way and not fast enough (both on your feet and in assignment) then you get what we have on our OL...a completely inept offense.

The worst thing that has happened to the Football Program in the last five years has nothing to do with Jeff Long or Bret Bielema. Itís when Sam Pittman left for Georgia. The heart and soul of the physical football team was the Oline Pittman built and it has not been replicated since he left.

They have a spread roster trying to play Power ďIĒ football. Square pegs in round holes.

The defense isnít addressed here, but itís pretty simple. The fear of the big play has taken away aggressiveness.

I think you are right. A lot on here wanted to say Pittman wasn't as good as advertised and recruited poorly after he left but that was ex girlfriend syndrome. Look at Georgia number one team in the country and we were on an upward projectory it seems until after Pittman left. I'm sure there are other factors at play but that one is glaring now.

uhhh.... I think it started before Brandon & CBB.... try thinking about CBP & Mallett.... years before...

You mean the 2010 team that had Knile Davis who lead the SEC in rushing among RB's? That team? The team that held the ball for almost 9 minutes in the 4th quarter to ice the game against LSU in the Rock? That non-physical football team??

Just because we could throw the ball all over the field doesn't mean we weren't physical. Those teams under CBP could do whatever the hell they wanted...except against LSU and Alabama in 2011. And we didn't give up 500 yards rushing either.

I think you are right. A lot on here wanted to say Pittman wasn't as good as advertised and recruited poorly after he left but that was ex girlfriend syndrome. Look at Georgia number one team in the country and we were on an upward projectory it seems until after Pittman left. I'm sure there are other factors at play but that one is glaring now.

Heís the best coach my son has ever had. Iíll say that without hesitation.

Lol, just go back and read the names you gave to illustrate this alleged "tough man" system that use to be Arkansas football, and put a time line on when they all played. Thanks for proving my point. It's good you would like to get back to winning 6 or 7 games and being billed as a "tough team". I would rather win 10 personally, even if everyone said we were finesse.

You insinuate that a team playing tough cant win more then 6 games. But how do you explain Ga and Bama? Oh wait, I forgot, They are marshmellows right? Now don't you go moving the goal post on me now

The worst thing that has happened to the Football Program in the last five years has nothing to do with Jeff Long or Bret Bielema. Itís when Sam Pittman left for Georgia. The heart and soul of the physical football team was the Oline Pittman built and it has not been replicated since he left.

They have a spread roster trying to play Power ďIĒ football. Square pegs in round holes.

The defense isnít addressed here, but itís pretty simple. The fear of the big play has taken away aggressiveness.

Thanks Fan for your input. I always felt that Pittman leaving hurt the program way more than many hogville posters wanted to admit at the time.

"When I saw B Allen throw the ball 50 times in one game- I knew they lost their identity. Ark has always been a tough out- but they don't have the players- never in a million years did I think I would ever say Ark is not a physical football team."

uhhh.... I think it started before Brandon & CBB.... try thinking about CBP & Mallett.... years before...

This isn't coming from me - it's Spears saying this. I really don't care one way or the other on how we go with our offense....I just ask that we do it consistently and for a long period of time. We need to recruit players that fit a certain style - recruit those same type of players for multiple years. We have a mixture of players on the roster now in an attempt to marry the philosophies of Enos AND CBB - IT'S NOT WORKING AND NEVER WORKS. Know who you are and go with it.

Go with one philosophy and stick with it.....the last 6 years have been nothing but a cluster f----

What happened to the don't flinch attitude CBB came in with - I think it got beat out of him, now he does whatever out of pure desperation. Heck, he won't even admit to a starting qb he's so desperate to gain some sort of slight advantage.

Now that's moving goal post. According to Rude1 you cannot win with smash mouth 3 yards in a cloud of dust football. however Bama's D is the reason they are winning games by such lopsided margins. Not their O

You mean the 2010 team that had Knile Davis who lead the SEC in rushing among RB's? That team? The team that held the ball for almost 9 minutes in the 4th quarter to ice the game against LSU in the Rock? That non-physical football team??

Just because we could throw the ball all over the field doesn't mean we weren't physical. Those teams under CBP could do whatever the hell they wanted...except against LSU and Alabama in 2011. And we didn't give up 500 yards rushing either.

If you donít understand Arkansas football and what made it what it is I canít help you much. I explained it here while Petrino was recruiting 18 receivers in every class and changing uniforms every other game. When he was lucking into wins over Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and A&M. And when he was getting plowed under by Alabama and LSU.

I get pretty sick of hearing about nostalgia here. Either you understand fundamentally sound, physical football or you donít. Why do you think Arkansas is still 19 in greatest college football programs of all time? Because it played physical offense, defense and special teams. For decades. Look at the other teams in that top 20. Almost all of them did.

For all his personal faults, Houston Nuttís teams played physical football. Do you think physical football is limited to the o-line? No. And that is not what Marcus Spears is talking about. Marcus Spears played against Nutt coached teams. Even when they were mediocre they would hit you in the mouth. So would Fordís teams. Nuttís 2006 team would have beaten the snot out of BPís teams. 2010 was as close as BP got to a complete football team.

Hogville is full of people who donít understand college football.

This is all 100% accurate. Totally agree. Don't like giving Nutt credit for anything but his teams did play hard. Defense was tough under Nutt and they swarmed to the ball. Have not done that many games during Bielema's time here.

We loss our identity as soon as Bielema was named coach. Iím certain that I will get negative feedback from this, but you show me a nice guy who become friends with his players and I will show you a loser coach!! Heís too laid back and that rubs off onto the players. I never liked the hire; never understood it! Why do we hire a coach from the Big 10 when the Big 10 wins 1 out of 3 games against SEC. I want a coach that eats, sh#% and sleep football!!!!!

We loss our identity as soon as Bielema was named coach. Iím certain that I will get negative feedback from this, but you show me a nice guy who become friends with his players and I will show you a loser coach!! Heís too laid back and that rubs off onto the players. I never liked the hire; never understood it! Why do we hire a coach from the Big 10 when the Big 10 wins 1 out of 3 games against SEC. I want a coach that eats, sh#% and sleep football!!!!!

Now I won't blame Petrino. He tried to keep physical football on both sides especially in the running game. He did abandon the run or forget about it sometimes (Bama 2010). And his oline did spend a lot of time backing up instead of firing off.

Bielema didn't do as he stated he was going to in building the oline. Had he and had they focused on that first and foremost in creating a power running game, the team and program would be better. His Arkansas teams have passed more and run less than his teams did at Wisconsin. Balance is a great thing. But we needed more oline signees earlier from the high school ranks to build a pipeline in the roster. Wasn't done. As bphillips describes, Bielema should have been a fit based on our history.

I've always questioned in college football if you have the practice time to develop olinemen who can be versatile enough to run block one play and play backing up the next. Questioned it with BP and question it now.

Maybe in philosophy, but these guys can't pass pro either... so if you're not physical enough to road grade your way and not fast enough (both on your feet and in assignment) then you get what we have on our OL...a completely inept offense.

It's the style of offense and the standing, holding the ball and waiting for the receivers to get open, so yes, to some degree it is the difference in philosophy. All American O-Linemen can't consistently produce effective pass protection when you are having to block the speed and strength in the SEC for 4-5 seconds waiting for someone to finally get open. The spread, along with the RPO's, keeps the ball moving and you don't have a figure just standing in the pocket for that long.

"When I saw B Allen throw the ball 50 times in one game- I knew they lost their identity. Ark has always been a tough out- but they don't have the players- never in a million years did I think I would ever say Ark is not a physical football team."

Contrary to those who insist otherwise, Arkansasís identity has always been physical football. BP didnít get that. He had a CUSA mentality and that is what started this. I can say that now because I said it when he was winning here.

Thatís odd. I remember those teams being physical enough, delivering some huge hits at times and all of our toughness suddenly being gone after all of Petrinoís conference USA recruits had expended their eligibility.

Regardless those days are over. High IQ, speed based football is the model now at Ark.

Spread is not high IQ. that's why so many QBs from spread systems struggle in the pros. they can't read defenses. It makes decision making easier and the players always look to the sidelines instead of QB calling the audible.

ENOS? He's the coordinator, it's not his job to create an offensive identity - that job falls on CBB and Enos then adjusts. This is the big problem...CBB had a style very different from Enos and they tried to somehow blend those two.

It has failed and look where we are now. A good coach must believe in himself...go with what you know or it becomes an enormous Cluster F

We loss our identity as soon as Bielema was named coach. Iím certain that I will get negative feedback from this, but you show me a nice guy who become friends with his players and I will show you a loser coach!! Heís too laid back and that rubs off onto the players. I never liked the hire; never understood it! Why do we hire a coach from the Big 10 when the Big 10 wins 1 out of 3 games against SEC. I want a coach that eats, sh#% and sleep football!!!!!

ENOS? He's the coordinator, it's not his job to create an offensive identity - that job falls on CBB and Enos then adjusts. This is the big problem...CBB had a style very different from Enos and they tried to somehow blend those two.

It has failed and look where we are now. A good coach must believe in himself...go with what you know or it becomes an enormous Cluster F

Enos is calling the plays....a 3 play offense isn't going to work no matter who you play. No room for adjustment anywhere on the offensive playbook. The cluster you speak of is like when Jerry Jones extends his fingers into the program to try to coach from the sidelines...doesn't work. I think CBB has that same problem with JL

I get pretty sick of hearing about nostalgia here. Either you understand fundamentally sound, physical football or you donít. Why do you think Arkansas is still 19 in greatest college football programs of all time? Because it played physical offense, defense and special teams. For decades. Look at the other teams in that top 20. Almost all of them did.

Curious about where you got the 19th all time ranking? I know that are ranked 20th in weeks in the AP poll. but Clemson is going to pass us before the seasons over. We are tied with Florida in all time wins.